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civil rights

[ siv-uhl rahyts ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

plural noun

(often initial capital letters)

rights to personal liberty established by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and certain Congressional acts, especially as applied to an individual or a minority group.
the rights to full legal, social, and economic equality extended to African Americans.

civil rights

plural noun

the personal rights of the individual citizen, in most countries upheld by law, as in the US
modifier of, relating to, or promoting equality in social, economic, and political rights

civil rights

A broad range of privileges and rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and subsequent amendments and laws that guarantee fundamental freedoms to all individuals. These freedoms include the rights of free expression and action ( civil liberties ); the right to enter into contracts , own property, and initiate lawsuits; the rights of due process and equal protection of the laws ; opportunities in education and work; the freedom to live, travel, and use public facilities wherever one chooses; and the right to participate in the democratic political system.

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Notes

Efforts to redress the situation of inequality, such as the civil rights movement and the women's movement , have resulted in legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , in affirmative action , and in the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission .

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Word History and Origins

Origin of civil rights¹

First recorded in 1715–25

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Instead it is using our nation’s foundational civil rights law as a pretext to coerce states into abandoning efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion through lawful programs and policies.”

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Others joining the coalition include civil rights and school employees groups as well as families and students.

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Those organizations energized student movements nationwide through sit-ins and demonstrations and by getting arrested as they fought for civil rights.

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Social commentator and civil rights activist Laura Miti accused the US embassy of "hypocrisy", while also labelling the new law "tyrannical".

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The dispute centres around Title IX, an American civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs.

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Related Words

civil rightist Civil Rights Act of 1964

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